Bacterial Contamination Of Mobile Phones Used By Healthcare Workers In The Dental Practice
Keywords:
Healthcare workers, Mobile phones, Nosocomial infection, Methicillin resistance, Staphylococcus aureusAbstract
Medical infection outbreak is a major emerging concern in many hospitals and health care centres. Mobile phones now are appropriate devices for health care staff to carry over ifections from patient to patient. Hence the main aim of the present study was to isolate, identify the different types of bacteria and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern from mobile phones of healthcare workers.
Aim: To determine the microbial contamination from mobile phones of healthcare workers (HCWs).
Objectives: To isolate, identify different types of bacteria and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern from mobile phones of healthcare workers.
Materials and Methods: All specimens were processed for isolation of organisms using different culture media like Nutrient agar, Blood agar, Mac conkey agar. Plates were incubated at 370 C for 24 hours and examined for growth. IMVIC test was used for specification of bacteria.
Result: In this study a total of 100 samples were examined, out of which 50 samples were from healthcare workers, 50 samples were from non-healthcare workers. 80 showed the growth of the bacterial pathogens. Hence overall contamination of the mobile phones was found to be 80%.
Conclusion: In this present study predominant isolated bacteria’s were gram positive cocci. We are suggesting simple measures such as hand washing, cleaning mobile phones with 70% isopropyl alcohol to reduce incidence of healthcare associated infections in the hospital settings. It seems that emphasis on infection control practices during early dental education is essential.
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